If those three big special teams plays Nevada got against Hawaii happened in the first half instead of the final 20 minutes Saturday, maybe most of us would have forgotten all about them — especially since UH held on to win its fourth game in a row.

Plus, even after a win there are other things to complain about.

While supposedly there is a magic chart that tells you what to do at the 3-yard line after a TD, no such standardized guide exists for covering kicks … especially on kickoffs now, where abolishment of the four-man blocking wedge altered return schemes and hence, coverage plans, too.

So while the Manoa brain trust hasn’t gone to DefCon 5 over special teams, that phase has become a concern, particularly covering kicks.

Head coach Greg McMackin and special teams coordinator Chris Tormey said the Warriors special teams were generally decent against the Wolf Pack. But they know one misstep in the kicking game can determine a game’s outcome.

"We did a good job with the exception of three plays. A punt return, a kickoff return and the onside kick. The rest of the game was a good job," McMackin said.

But UH’s goal is to make three big special teams plays a game, not allow them.

Mike Ball’s 84-yard kickoff return and Rishard Matthews’ 44-yard runback of a punt both set up Nevada inside the Hawaii 20. The ensuing touchdowns kept them in a game UH led 17-0 at halftime. If not for Mana Silva’s interception in the closing minutes to seal it, the perfectly executed onside kick could have resulted in the Warriors preparing for their game at Utah State on Saturday in a much different frame of mind and lower position in the WAC standings.

"Any time we give up a big return it puts the defense in a tough situation," Tormey said. "Late in the game we’ve got to be at our best."

The players don’t really have any concrete explanations for Saturday’s unhappy returns.

"I don’t know," said David Graves, who is on the kickoff coverage team. "It’s just a matter of everyone doing their jobs. We had two leaks. Other than that we stopped all the other returns."

Jordan Monico leads the Warriors with 14 special teams tackles.

"We just have to tighten up on our assignments, keep our lanes. Make some minor adjustments," he said. "We try not to think about it too much. Look at it once and adjust."

Over the course of the season, the Warriors are fine on kickoff coverage, allowing 19.1 yards per for 22nd of 120 teams nationally. But on punts they rank 115th, yielding 18.2 on average.

SOME PEOPLE SAY Scott Enos should just boot every kickoff out of the end zone, and that’s that. And Alex Dunnachie should just coffin corner every punt at the 1-yard line. Of course they should. And every pass Bryant Moniz throws should go for a touchdown.

"Kickers are not machines," Tormey said. "Sometimes we have to cover a kick that’s not perfect."

Questionable blocking tactics make the job harder. McMackin asked the conference office to review last week’s game for possible missed holding calls on Nevada’s return team.

"One of (the UH players) was flat tackled. Jordan got held," Tormey said. "But you’re going to get held. You have to separate from the block and get off against a great athlete. It’s not easy."

McMackin said linebacker Aaron Brown, who is second on the team in tackles, will rejoin the kickoff-coverage team this week and reserve Parker Paredes will "get his chance."

Utah State’s Kerwynn Williams is a pretty good return man. He has runbacks of 70 and 67 yards (no TDs). But overall, the Aggies are middle-of-the-pack on special teams; it’s not like when they had Kevin Robinson, who was the WAC’s best kick returner since Chad Owens.

Hawaii should win Saturday in Logan. It is better than Utah State on both sides of the ball, better enough to negate the Aggies’ considerable home-field advantage.

And the Warriors can make things a lot easier for themselves if they’re the ones making the big plays on special teams.